Remarks by Deputy Minister Buti Manamela to the International Migration Policy Dialogue: Engaging Youth on Managing International Migration in South Africa, Unisa, Pretoria
Programme Directors – Prof. Vusi Gumede,
Minister of Home Affairs – Mr Malusi Gigaba,
Vice Chancellor of UNISA – Prof. Makhanya,
Leaders of Youth Formations,
Representatives of organisations representing migrants in South Africa,
Invited guests,
I am honoured to be invited to this important dialogue and to be with you today. I wish to thank the Department of Home Affairs, under the leadership of Minister Gigaba, for hosting this dialogue on a very pertinent matter in our country.
I have been asked to make some remarks on the National Youth Policy. I am very pleased to announce that on Wednesday, Minister in The Presidency, Mr Jeff Radebe signed the National Youth Policy (NYP) 2020 in Khayelitsha in Cape Town. The signing of the NYP 2020 co-incided with the celebration of International Youth Day around the globe.
As a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the African Union, the government of South Africa clearly supported the call for member states to develop National Youth Policies. We view the National Youth Policy 2020 as a guiding policy instrument to respond to the needs and aspirations of our youth and to address the critical youth development challenges that they face. The signing of the NYP 2020 on Wednesday, was the culmination of many months of policy development and extensive consultation.
When we launched the consultative process for the National Youth Policy 2020 in January this year, we made a clarion call that every young person from all corners of the Republic must speak. They must own this youth policy formulation process and outcome.
I re-iterated that the National Youth Policy 2020 is about the youth, for the youth and by the youth of South Africa. Nothing for us without us. My call was rooted in my belief that young men and women have a critical role to play in their own development. Their views matter and their voices must be heard.
We directly engaged youth in provincial, regional and local consultations across the nine provinces. We went to schools, shebeens, taxi ranks, bus stations and workplaces speaking with young people. We engaged young people extensively on social media. We met with key youth formations from across our diverse youth sector. Over 100 written submissions on the NYP 2020 were made from varied youth voices across the country.
It was a rigorous process of engagement and I was wholly captivated by the depth of insight that our young people have about the South Africa they want and how to overcome the youth development challenges that we face.
Overwhelmingly young people told us that they want a hand up and not a hand out. They told us that they do not want to be passive recipients of government interventions. But rather, they are ready to be active partners in youth development. They are not looking for special favours from government. But instead, they want government to create that enabling environment which creates opportunity for them to grab and take hold off as they steer themselves down the development trajectory.
Therefore the outcome of the NYP 2020 is “to produce empowered young people who are able to realise their full potential and understand their roles and responsibilities in making a meaningful contribution to the development of a non-racial, equal, democratic and prosperous South Africa.”
The five priorities areas in the NYP 2020 are:
1. Enabling economic participation and transformation
2. Facilitating education, skills development and second chances (quality and access)
3. Health care and combating substance abuse
4. Facilitating nation building and social cohesion
5. Optimising youth machinery for effective delivery and responsiveness
Allow me to highlight a few key proposals from the area that is most relevant to this dialogue with youth. In the priority area of Facilitating nation building and social cohesion, the NYP 2020 proposes the following:
1. Young people must know and understand the National symbols in fostering a common identity.
2. Confronting racism, including xenophobia, in all its forms utilising social media platforms and other innovative campaigns and programmes initiated by youth.
3. Supporting youth leadership develop for active citizenry.
4. Better implementation of the National Youth Service.
5. Broadening sport and recreation opportunities including compulsory schools sports.
Through the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, a Task Team comprising of key government departments and civil society organisations has been put together to develop the Coordination and Expansion Framework for the National Youth Service Programme. We believe that NYS holds much promise for the youth of our nation to foster their South African identity, bolster their patriotism to the county, and build social cohesion in our communities.
Youth service programmes have been used as a model to build reconciliation in divided communities in various parts of the world. International research demonstrates the efficacy of NYS programmes in helping youth connect to each other, connect to their communities and connect to their country. We want an active youth citizenry who are committed to finding solutions working in partnership with government. The new NYS framework will assist us to simplify the coordination and access to NYS programmes as well as allow for NYS to be massified.
Young people must drive social cohesion to build communities that are healthy and thriving. This includes a sustained dialogue and partnership action with immigrants within our communities to ensure that they are well integrated and feel a sense of belonging. In doing this, young people can learn a lot about other African communities and cultures on our continent.
South African youth have often been criticised about their lack of knowledge of our continent and its people. They have been characterised as youth that are disconnected from African culture. As we drive our intentional efforts of social cohesion, we have to reach out to and connect with migrant communities, particularly migrant youth living in South Africa. This connecting process provides much opportunity for intercultural learning and enhancing our understanding of our continent and its peoples. Through social cohesion efforts we can build bridges and establish bonds of African humanity in our communities.
Writers have argued that the world is getting smaller. The world is an inter-connected village. The new global world, with its technological improvements, has made international migration easier. International migration will be here to stay for a long time, both in and out bound. More young South Africans are travelling abroad as the world opens up to them. Taking a gap year whilst travelling, working and living abroad has become fashionable amongst youth who can afford it. Young, highly skilled South Africans are also eager to gain international skills exposure before returning to settle down in their careers here, at home.
This dialogue takes place at an opportune time for youth to share their perspectives on international migration with all its challenges and its opportunities. I hope that you will actively participate and help us develop a youth perspective on these issues. We will follow this dialogue closely and will look at integrating some of your perspectives particularly in the social cohesion work stream of the NYP 2020.
Allow me to thank the Department of Home Affairs and particularly to Minister Gigaba for hosting this dialogue and bringing together our various youth formations.
I wish you well in your deliberations.
